1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention relates to pressure and other transducers, to transducer dome constructions, and to transducer dome quick connect/disconnect systems.
2. Disclosure Statement
The following disclosure statement is made pursuant to the duty of disclosure imposed by law and formulated in 37 CFR 1.56(a). No representation is hereby made that information thus disclosed in fact constitutes prior art, inasmuch as 37 CFR 1.56(a) relies on a materiality concept which depends on uncertain and inevitably subjective elements of substantial likelihood and reasonableness and inasmuch as a growing attitude appears to require citation of material which might lead to a discovery of pertinent material though not necessarily being of itself pertinent. Also, the following comments contain conclusions and observations which have only been drawn or become apparent after conception of the subject invention or which contrast the subject invention or its merits against the background of developments which may be subsequent in time or priority.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,587,322, by S. L. Lobdell et al, issued June 28, 1971, discloses a pressure transducer mounting having an adapter that may act as a fluid-receiving transducer dome. According to that patent, such dome has an internal thread for engaging an external thread on the transducer mounting body. With such an arrangement, one or more lines would be subjected to turning torque, when the transducer dome is threaded onto the transducer mounting body, or is removed therefrom, while one or more fluid lines are connected to the transducer dome and an electrical line or cable is connected to the transducer mounting body. The same comments would appear to be applicable to the threaded transducer dome design of U.S. Pat. No. 4,252,126, by J. P. Mandl, issued Feb. 24, 1981.
Threaded domes are also apparent from U.S. Pat. No. 3,499,434, by G. Ullrich et al, issued Mar. 10, 1970 and disclosing a sound and pressure diagnostic apparatus having several lines connected thereto, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,072,056, by A. St. Jacques Lee, issued Feb. 7, 1978, for a fluid containment structure for transducer systems.
In general, such systems tended to impose turning torques on attached fluid lines and electrical cables, failed to provide a constant and uniform sealing pressure on the transducer diaphragm, were prone to over-tightening, and did not enable any quick connect and disconnect operation of the dome relative to the transducer body.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,185,641, by T. G. Minior et al, issued Jan. 29, 1980, discloses a spring loading system, with resilient tongues that engage corresponding projections in such a manner as to draw the dome and transducer together when one is rotated with respect to the other.
Detent notches for the projection are said to insure that the force between the dome and the transducer is always the same. Reference may in this respect also be had to the related article by J. F. Dias et al, entitled Capacitive Blood Pressure Transducer, ISA Transactions, Vol. 19, No. 3, pp. 19 to 23.
For a disclosure of twist-lock containers, reference may be had to U.S. Pat. No. 4,279,355, by E. L. Schwartz et al, issued July 21, 1981. With such twist-lock containers, as well as with the pressure dome connecting system disclosed as mentioned above by Minior et al and Dias et al, it is, of course, still necessary to twist the dome and transducer body relative to each other during attachment and detachment which, depending on the application, may in practice shift the fluid and electrical lines.
A few years ago, a cordless vibrating massager was developed with a removable cap for the battery casing at the rear thereof, as may be seen from the U.S. Pat. No. Des. 210,922, issued Apr. 30, 1968, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,451,391, issued June 24, 1969, and 3,549,920, issued Dec. 22, 1970, and all naming J. H. Tavel as inventor. As apparent from the latter patents, the inside of the sidewall of the end cap was provided with a pair of diametrically spaced bosses which protrude inwardly a short distance. The outside of the lower end of the battery housing was provided with a pair of substantially L-shaped slots, which have a short axial leg connecting with a substantially longer transverse leg.
The bosses were dimensioned and adapted to slidably move into the open lower end of the short axial legs of the slots and then moved from the upper end of the axial leg into the transverse leg. The lower edge of each of the transverse legs of the slots was angled slightly downwardly from its closed end towards its junction with the axial leg. A short stop was disposed at one end of the lower edge of each of the transverse legs, directly adjacent to the intersection of the transverse leg with the axial leg. The stop acted to engage the boss in its counterclockwise movement along the axial leg. The boss could be moved past the stop only by moving the end cap inwardly against the pressure of the contact spring of a battery terminal. The stop accordingly was supposed to prevent accidental removal of the end cap and batteries and to permit such removal only when the end cap was moved inwardly and then rotated past the stop. In cordless electric vibrators actually built and marketed under these patents, the lower edge of each of the transverse legs of the transverse slots has no longer been angled downwardly, but rather extends in a plane perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the elongate battery housing or vibrator.
As another example of an area which had to deal with the task of providing quick connect and disconnect of interrelated parts, the connector field may be referred to. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 3,646,495, by R. R. Cowmeadow, issued Feb. 29, 1972, shows a connector device having a detent lock with a leaf detent spring disposed between facing annular surfaces of a pair of rings and engageable in a key slot in one of the rings to lock them against relative rotation.
Another example is seen from U.S. Pat. No. 3,888,559, by R. L. Geib, issued June 10, 1975, and showing a quick disconnect connector assembly including a plurality of ball bearing locking members in the plug portion of the connector, cooperating with a groove in a corresponding receptacle portion for locking these two components together. The position of the ball bearing locking members was controlled by a spring biased locking spring. Pulling the locking ring against the force of its biasing spring released the ball bearing locking members for quick separation of the two connector portions.
Another quick connect coupling is apparent from U.S. Pat. No. 3,901,538, by S. W. Blakely, issued Aug. 26, 1975, and disclosing a threaded male coupling member in which a female coupling member is provided of such design that the male member may be inserted and locked without moving or rotating the female member. An inwardly sprung, resilient snap spring is situated within a tubular shell member and is provided with internal threads for engaging and blocking the male member in position. The shell is contoured to hold the snap spring in locking engagement with the male member in the event that force is applied to the coupling to pull it apart.
Another connector, manufactured by the Cannon Division of ITT under the desigantion 7841 MS 3122E 14-5P for the female member and 7729, MS 3116F14-5S for the male member, has three circumferentially distributed pins projecting from a cylindrical outer wall of the female member and engaging three slanted slots in an annular tightening member encompassing and being retained at the male member and being rotatable relative thereto.
At the end of each of these slanted slots, there is a radial bore for receiving one of the projecting pins of the female member; the arrangement being such that the projecting pins of the female member click into the corresponding radial bores of the tightening member at the end of a rotation thereof.
Reference may also be had to quick connect pipe couplings and fittings. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 3,924,881, by J. V. O'Connor, issued Dec. 9, 1975, shows a pipe fitting in which a female member includes shoulder portions cooperating with corresponding elements of an annular gasket retaining element.
Despite this wealth of proposals and designs, the need for an improved transducer body and dome interconnecting system has persisted.